Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. I am coming along slowly with the last part of this tale. My kids and RL in general have kept me busy of late. But I at least have the outline done, as well as the next couple of chapters. It's easier when one knows where to go next. For a while, this story just sort of wrote itself, but it was becoming so tangled with sub-plots, I was afraide that I'd write myself into a corner that I couldn't get out of. Now that I have the rest outlined, I at least know that won't happen.

Hi

. Thanks so much for taking the time to review. I know how crazy RL can get. So sorry to hear about your problems, but glad to know you are on the mend.I think some readers don't realize how much reviews mean to writers. It really is gratifying to know that someone is paying attention out there, and our efforts are not all in vain.

Hi! So sorry for the delay in answering your review. I read it from my phone, but I cannot answer reviews from there. My life is so busy at the moment that I rarely have time to log on to my computer. I use one at work all day long, but I am blocked from sites like this. And once home, there is little time for such things. So I guess we are even.I hope your health issues have been resolved. It is hard to put your best foot forward in a job interview when you are not feeling well. I searched for two years for a decent job before I finally gave up and took something much less than what I wanted. But at least it's better than no job at all. However, now it is difficult to find time to write. I am whittling away at this tale, and eventually I will finish it. I promise. The chapter I'm working on now is difficult for me because a good part of it needs to be funny. Comedy is the most difficult for me to write. But I will get it done eventually. Please be patient with me.Thanks so much for taking the time to review.

Actually, they will be meeting on Sundays. She will leave school on Fridays to do research at the Ministry.Rose has not been completely won over yet, but she's close. You must remember, even though Molly is telling her the war stories, Ron sees her every night of the week, and he still has a very low opinion of Snape. He is coloring her opinion in spite of Molly's story telling.Thanks for reading and especially reviewing. I need the reviews to keep me going.

Thanks,

. Glad you are enjoying my little yarn.

You caught me,

. I had forgotten that Snape's screen name was HBP when I wrote his reaction to her knowing his name and the book. This is what happens when a writer writes over a long period of time and then doesn't go back and review often enought as she continues her story. I have gone back and read from the beginning a couple of times. Guess I'd better do it again, although I doubt that it will prevent similar mistakes in the future.Thanks for keeping me on my toes!BTW, what makes you think that Umbridge is a half-blood? Was it mentioned in one of the books? I don't recall.

Oh believe me, I know. I have a story I've been "working" on for three years.  No criticism here. ;)  Maybe go back and edit it and say he hasn't heard anyone else *say* that?  *cough*  >.> I think it was mentioned in DH that Umbridge is a half-blood but she hides it.Question: I may have missed this (as I was reading night before last in a state of SEVERE intoxication *COUGH*) but did Hermione actually *get* divorced from Ron or are they still in the process?  If signing the paperwork did it but I'd assume that Zabini came in somewhere?I really like the blackmail aspect.  And I liked Snape's response to insolent Rose. :P

Thanks for the info on Umbridge. I had something else in mind, but I think I can work with this new info. It might actually make things more interesting.As for the "divorce," if nothing else is done by either party, it will become official six months after they sign the papers. Since neither of them plan on stopping the process, they both sometimes refer to themselves as divorced, and the general population acts as if it is already official. Hence Dumbledore's comment, and the guy at the Apothecary.

It really helped that Severus let her try out her new hexing skills on his nose. :)

I'm sure that thought crossed Hermione's mind. Snape did what he felt was needed by hexing her. And I'm sure he took great pleasure in doing so.

Thanks so much,

. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

You might think that he would be their "ace in the hole" so to speak, but there will still be problems. I can't make it too easy. Where would the fun be in that?

Snape wouldn't be caught dead in a chef's hat. Or one of those tall pointy wizard's hat either. Nope, cloaks with hoods are more his style.Glad you like it,

. Thanks for the review.

Believe it or not, the fact that he let her hex him on the nose did do quite a bit to win her over. He proved to her that he can take it as well as dish it out. And when he keeps his promise next week to teach her the healing spell, she might actually begin to like him... just a little.

Your assessment of Snape's teaching style if he had not been a spy is exactly what I would imagine also.You will find out what Snape's plan is in the next chapter. The cloak is actually not for him, but for Winky. She is going to help him.Thanks so much for that insightful review,

. It means a lot.

Actually, since both Rose and Hugo successfully cast the boil hex, Ron already knows. They broke the statute against the use of magic by underaged wizards outside of school. You will find out in the next chapter that Ron was on-call on Sunday and decided not to investigate the incident. It was too minor for the Ministry to bother with. Next Sunday will be another matter, however, as you will see, if I can ever get the chance to write the darn thing! It is frustrating to have all of these conversations going around in my head, but no time to type them.Please be patient.As for the restaurant, there will probably be a Notice-Me-Not charm on it to keep away Muggles. Sorry.

Ah, but if you think about it, 7 Weasleys have been trained by Snape, at least in potions, and one in DADA. And considering Hogwarts produced both Dumbledore and Tom Riddle (not to mention the Weasley Twins), I think that school has seen it all.

Isn't Umbitch a great nickname for the pink toad?! I love it.Glad you found your way here. I love this site. There are some amazing authors here. I never tire of reading their stories. But be forewarned, some of the stories are addictive!Have fun Jen. :)

Thanks so much. I'm glad you like the story. Dolores is such an evil character with a sugar coating. Some people get sucked right into the facade, while others see through her immediately. She will be uncovered and get what she deserves later... Hope you stick with me to find out how. :)

I'd love to see her turned into a toad. I wonder what kind she would become... Maybe ot a toad but a poisous dart frog? Or a large-mouth toad, yes, that's it, with a mouth so big it can swallow its mate whole! Yep, that's Umbridge.Hermione will never give up on Severus. He owns her heart, although he would never believe it if she told him right now.  Maybe someday. :)

Lots of happy to spread around at the end, but we have a long way to go yet.Thanks for sticking with me. The next chapter is in the queue and I started Ch. 24 today. I hope to not take so long with the updates, but summer gets very busy sometimes with my two teenage kids who don't have drivers' licenses yet. Did somebody call a taxi? LOL

Sorry, but your lustful desires will have to be met in their dream sequences, at least for a while.As for Umbridge, she ranks right up there with Wormtail and Voldy in my book. I would find a way to kill her off, but I was hoping to make this a more light-hearted tale, so death is out. I'll find something fitting to exact all of our revenge, don't worry.

Yes, this is so long, and it is taking me so long to finish it, that I have to start from the beginning myself sometimes.That is a good exercise when i get writer's block. I get to my latest chapter and want to know what happens next, so I get motivated to write it so I can find out! I know that sounds strange, but sometimes I get my best ideas while I am writing, things I never imagined before just come to me out of the blue. I know the general direction, and I have even written the very last scene, so i know how it will end, but as I say to other writers when i give reviews, it's the journey that is the fun part.Thanks for reading,

. I think "Secret Recipe" would be a great name for a restaurant!

More than wet dreams, indeed! I guarantee it, but they have a lot more to suffer through before they finally get there. Be patient, it will come.

A public and painful fall from grace is the plan... The fun will be in seeing how we get to that point.

Thanks, glad you are enjoying it.